Is Getting Rid Of NEET The True Solution To The Problem?
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The NEET examinations are the most discussed topic of the past few days. What with multiple people being arrested, numerous investigations, and various allegations of question paper leaks; it’s not surprising to see why these examinations have become a source of distrust among the people. With 67 students scoring perfect marks, I.E 720 out of 720, or them scoring 719, 718, etc. which you know is not possible if you know the NEET scoring system, many of those top scoring students being from the same institution, and the NEET results being announced ten days prior to the intended date; many are calling for the NEET examinations to be banned once and for all.
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The Criticisms Against NEET:
Even prior to the scandal, the NEET examinations were being criticized, particularly by the state of Tamilnadu; for being elitist. Students from low income backgrounds could not afford to join coaching classes for these exams; which would have helped them gain the required score. Moreover, many students have committed suicides due to failing in these exams, or not receiving the required cut-off. People also argue that students who have scored highly in their 12th board exams, are not able to achieve the same with the NEET exams.
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Counter-arguments:
When talking about affordability, we have to acknowledge that this is not an issue exclusive to the NEET exams. Most competitive exams require the students to attend coaching classes, which are heavily priced. For example, the civil services examinations are extremely elitist and reek of nepotism. Rather than criticizing this aspect, the government should focus on taking measures to stop elitist sections’ of society monopolization of these exams. One way to do this is for the government to themselves organize for providing the coaching classes required for the exams; either free of cost, or at a very low cost that can easily be paid by the students regardless of their economic backgrounds.
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We can also stop the students from committing suicides by : first of all, reducing the fear and pressure associated with NEET. We need to have councilling programs for the students, to help them with the stress they might be feeling before or after the exams. We need to advise parents to encourage their children even if their first attempt didn’t end with the results that they expected. Students need to experience a supportive environment where they feel motivated to not give up, and try again in the next coming years.
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The marks scored by the students in their 12th board exams, do not adequately reflect the skills of the students. Most students provide answers memorized word for word from their textbooks, guides, and notebooks; that you could have very well asked them to copy paste the answers. We do not need students who are merely memorizing machines; we have computers for that. We need to test the students’ ability to conceptually understand what is being taught to them, their skill to apply the knowledge they have gained in a practical way, and so on. The board exams aren’t enough for that.
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The Potential Advantages Of NEET:
Many students were unable to get into the medical fields, especially into private colleges, due to the high amount of money they had to pay to secure a single seat. As a result, only rich students with lakhs and crores of money were the only ones to get a chance at medicine. Even the government colleges were filled with fraud and corruption, where influential government officials recommended the candidates who were related to them, or could give them bribes in exchange. As a result, medicine became a field that could only be gained by how much money and influence you had, rather than your actual merit and skill. And even if they were based on merit, the only thing considered was the scores of the students in their 10th and 12th examinations. As I said, that is not enough to determine the skill of the student. We need an exam like NEET to properly decide on which students have the required skills to get into the field of medicine. NEET can also stop the field of medicine becoming exclusive to the upper sections of our society, and make it more egalitarian and inclusive to students from all socio-economic backgrounds.
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A Few Possible Solutions:
Rather than entirely getting rid of NEET, we need to focus on reforming the way in which these exams are conducted, and the way in which the answer sheets are being evaluated. Here are some possible ways in which we could prevent the current situation from repeating itself:
Appoint eligible candidates on to the board involved in the preparation of the question papers. Make sure that the question paper prepared by this board is confidential, and known only by them. If they violate this, take severe actions on them.
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Keep the prepared question papers under maximum security by posting guards in the places where the papers are kept, at all times, fixing camera equipment, etc. Even the vehicles and instruments transporting these papers to the examination centers should be securely equipped. Make sure to warn everybody involved that severe consequences will be faced by anyone who even attempts to leak these papers; and follow them up with action, when such things occur.
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Appoint strict invigilators to monitor examination centers. They should be highly ethical individuals, and should be equipped with the authority to take the necessary actions required to prevent the malpractices common in these exams. Make sure you have appointed the right number of individuals, as the exam centers should not have a shortage or a lack of these invigilators.
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Right after the examination is over, the answer papers should be taken away from the students. There should be arrangements necessary for the instant transfer of these papers to the places where they are intended to be evaluated. This ensures that the staff will not get the chance to look through, or fill in answers or make any sort of changes in general to the answer sheets of the students.
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And finally, the government should have stricter laws regarding the corruption and bribery associated with this issue, involving the students, their parents, staff, etc. Severe actions should be taken against them, like banning the students from ever attempting any sort of examination ever, not just the NEET, putting the staff and parents of the students behind bars, etc. The people involved in the scandal should be made an example of, the punishments given to them should be so severe; that no one should even think of attempting such a thing again.
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In conclusion, rather than calling for a ban on these exams, we need to make reforms that prevent such scandals from happening again; so that each and every student regardless of their backgrounds, can fulfill their noble dream of saving lives.
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